MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

Netflix is aiming to fill half of its streaming catalog with original programming over the next few years, according to company CFO David Wells (via Variety). The announcement marks a renewed push towards offering original TV shows and movies commissioned by Netflix over stocking licensed content. The streaming catalog is already one third of the way toward reaching the target, according...

Google has launched Allo, its new intelligent messaging app. Allo combines now-standard messaging features like stickers, changing font sizes and marked-up photos with Google Assistant, an intelligent chat AI that brings Google's services to your conversations, and Smart Reply. Google Assistant comes in two forms. The first form is a one-on-one chat in which you can request information from ...

Lock maker Schlage recently updated its iOS app to introduce compatibility between the company's Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt and Apple's new Home app in iOS 10. Once users update the Schlage Sense app in the iOS App Store, the smart deadbolt can be added into Home, and subsequently controlled via Control Center and voice commands through Siri. The update also brings push notifications...

A few shows on The CW have begun tweeting out a confirmation that the network's Apple TV app will arrive sometime "next week," along with apps on Roku, Chromecast, Xbox, and Amazon Fire TV (via iDigitalTimes). The hint of an incoming Apple TV app was discovered last week, but an official Apple TV app for The CW -- and not just the clip-based "Seed" platform -- has been in the works for over three ...

Apple has hired Toronto healthcare doctor Mike Evans "to help chart the future of family medicine" at the company, although the specifics of his role have not been disclosed (via CBC). Evans was said to catch Apple's attention through a series of videos he's posted on his YouTube channel, called DocMikeEvans, where he narrates discussions about health and mindfulness topics over cartoon...

Google has announced it is updating its Photos app to make sharing photos and videos faster, with a new movie-making feature based on creative concepts also on the way. Usually, Google Photos users who want to share photos in the app have to call up the iOS Share Sheet and select which app to share through. Photos now offers an arguably faster alternative to that, with a new option that lets...

HTC today announced two new mid-range Android smartphones, a budget-oriented model called the Desire 10 Lifestyle and a more capable, more expensive handset called the Desire 10 Pro. The Lifestyle model is a 5.5-inch device with a 720p Gorilla Glass display, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 2GB or 3GB RAM, 16GB or 32GB expandable storage, a 13-megapixel f/2.2 rear camera,...

With the controversial absence of a headphone jack on the iPhone 7 now a reality, accessory companies are busily churning out wireless alternatives, and that's as true of Bose as it is of other big audio brands. Its latest QuietComfort 35 over-the-ear headphones ($350) are a wireless version of the company's flagship premium QC25 cans ($300), seen by some as offering the best active...

Twitter today announced that its long-awaited changes to the Tweet character limit have been implemented, giving Twitter users more room for text when sharing media. Photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets no longer count towards the 140-character limit, freeing up character space. Previously, media content took up approximately 24 of the 140 available characters. Twitter originally...

The Apple Watch Series 2 didn't change much visually from the original version of the device that launched in 2015, but Apple did introduce one new version of Series 2 that could be immediately distinguished from earlier iterations: the Ceramic Apple Watch Edition. The Ceramic model comes packed in with a Magnetic Apple Watch Charging Dock and a Cloud Sport Band, so many users were curious about...

Popular iOS Twitter client Tweetbot has been updated to version 4.5, adding new functions for iOS 10 users as well as a few other improvements. The update, which is free to existing users, means Tweetbot users on iOS 10 will see slightly richer notifications. The update also introduces a new feature called Profile Notes, which lets users add brief notes to the profiles of people they follow -...

Samsung pushed suppliers to meet tighter deadlines for an earlier launch of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 after hearing that the iPhone 7 would have no major design changes, according to a new report published today. The Bloomberg report cites multiple sources indicating that executives at Samsung saw rumors of Apple's apparent lack of innovation this year as an opportunity, and quickly...

With iOS 10, Apple opened Siri to third-party developers with a public API, allowing the personal assistant to summon third-party services and apps hands-free. Two of the first apps to make use of the new Siri SDK are WhatsApp Messenger and ride-hailing app Uber, both of which issued updates for their flagship apps this week. Uber users can now hail a ride with a "Hey, Siri" command,...

Apple's Reserve and Pick Up website is currently live again in Canada, allowing customers to reserve an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus for pickup at a local Apple retail store starting tomorrow. Despite limited to no launch day stock, iPhone 7 Plus models now appear to be available in cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec City, Halifax, Mississauga, London, Waterloo, and Winnipeg just one ...

As discovered by Myke Hurley (via Daring Fireball), some iPhone 7 and 7 Plus users are going to have a tough time unlocking their devices during wintertime. As it turns out, the new "solid-state" Home button on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus requires skin contact or the right kind of capacitive gloves to function. If you put on a pair of gloves or cover your finger with the sleeve of a shirt...

According to Apple's System Status page, both the iTunes Store and the App Store are down for some users. The iTunes Store has been experiencing issues since just after 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time this afternoon, and while the App Store outage period is not listed, MacRumors has seen several complaints about accessing it going back an hour or two. Apple's System Status site says some users may be ...

A federal jury in Tyler, Texas has ordered Apple to pay $22.1 million to patent firm Acacia Research for violating U.S. Patent No. 8,055,820, related to cellular network technologies, according to court documents filed electronically this week. The monetary award is a running royalty for Apple's infringement through March 2016. The jury said Apple did not prove with clear and convincing...

A group of three news outlets, including Gannett, the Associated Press and Vice Media, filed a lawsuit today against the FBI on grounds relating to the bureau's decision to keep its method of hacking into San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone a secret. The news organizations are looking for more information about how exactly the FBI entered the iPhone, what "outside party" helped with the...